14
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
attracting E. antiopa6; a reference to the attractiveness (superior to
that of sallows) of the sap of cut dogwood stems to spring moths7; and
finally Mr. Burrows (loc. cit.) says that, during the past summer, a lime
tree, which he had trimmed, "began to bleed slightly at a crack in the
bark (I suppose where a shoot had been removed), and this crack was
constantly visited and usually had some wasps wedged in it day and night.
They seemed to be semi-drunk always."
There is also an old record8 of wasps and P. atalanta being seen sucking
the sap exuding from a Cossus-infected Black Poplar.
It will thus be seen that, besides elm, oak, ash, birch, alder, dogwood,
poplar, and lime sap is attractive to insects.
It will be noted that Mr. Christy and Mr. Burrows both refer to the
belief that, when a tree is afflicted with "bleeding," it eventually dies
of it; and, if the bleeding be due to Cossus attack or other serious injury,
there is likelihood that such belief will be justified sooner or later, although
large trees infested with Cossus have been known to exist for many
years.
MUSEUM NOTE, No. VII.
PIED BLACKBIRD FROM WARLEY PLACE.
PRESENTED BY MISS E. WILLMOTT, F.L.S.
AN unusually-beautiful specimen of a pied cock blackbird,
mounted in a glass case, has been presented to the
Essex Museum by Miss Willmott.
She writes:—For some thirty years or more, the
gardens of Warley Place have been frequented by pied
blackbirds. The first that I remember was a pure white
bird, which caused quite a sensation in the neighbourhood;
but its beauty proved too great a temptation to those who
knew the market value of such a bird. It was shot and sold
to a London dealer. A. year later, several pied birds appeared.
One was white breasted; another white winged; another
white tailed ; there were several with a stray white feather
here and there. The following year, a white breasted white
winged blackbird enlivened the garden; and since that time
we have never been without one or more pied birds. In 1911,
another pure white blackbird appeared, and remained with
us for about two years. In 1914, we frequently saw one marked
like a cuckoo. In 1916, there were several pied birds—one
with a pure white wing; another with half its head white;
6 Ent. Monthly Mag., viii., p. 110.
7 Ent. Rec. ix., p. 64.
8 Science Gossip., xiv., p. 35.